


Search Parties

by twoturtlesinabathtub



Series: Flight Patterns [2]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Angst, F/M, Henry is so soft, Vignette, please protect him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-26 01:07:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12048138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twoturtlesinabathtub/pseuds/twoturtlesinabathtub
Summary: After Robin goes missing following the fall of Grima, Morgan tries to figure out what his father's behavior means.





	Search Parties

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, um...this makes me sad. But I like it. So here, haha.

He wasn't in the Shepherd's barracks. He wasn't in the castle library, to which the royal family had granted him access. He wasn't in any of the capital's bookstores, and was visiting neither Tharja nor Miriel.

After spending the day searching, feet aching from the distance he'd walked, Morgan was feeling more than a little miffed. Where was he? There was only one place left where he could think to look, and, despite his naturally optimistic disposition, he grumbled to himself as he shuffled to one of the quaint cottages at the outskirts of Ylisstol.

He knocked on the door upon arrival, straightening his spine and forcing a more pleasant expression to replace his worried frown. It opened a moment later, and Ricken peered around the corner. His smile upon seeing the white haired young man was hesitant and small. "Oh, hi, Morgan," greeted the short mage. "How are you?"

"Hi. I'm okay, thanks. I was just wondering if—"

"Yeah, he's here," Ricken interrupted with a nod. "Come on in, we'll get you a glass of water. You look exhausted!"

Morgan expressed his thanks as he was ushered inside. He was immediately accosted by Nowi, sent reeling when she threw herself at him in an enthusiastic hug.

"Morgan! Hey! Good to see you!" The manakete pulled back to peer at his face. "Wow, you don't look so good. Here, sit down." She tugged him by the sleeve of his coat to one of the chairs in the sitting area; he gratefully slumped into it with a small sigh of contentment, glad that his search was over at last.

After he'd gulped down the glass of water handed to him, he sat up straighter and ran a hand through his hair. "So, is he out back?" he asked Ricken.

Ricken nodded. "He's been out there for a while now."

Morgan didn't know whether he should go to his father or give the man more time to himself. "Why's he out there?"

"It's the birds. He's always out there, playing with the birds." Ricken shook his head, a wistful smile doing nothing to brighten his still youthful face.

"Birds make good friends," Nowi piped up, patting her husband's arm. "I still miss Janaff, sometimes."

"It's just a little thing," said Ricken, "but I'm glad he's doing something that makes him happy. He's been different, ever since...well, you know."

Oh, Morgan knew. His father had changed ever since his mother had disappeared, but instead of one big change, it was a bunch of small ones. He spoke a little more quietly, for one thing, but only enough that his close friends ever noticed. He stared off into space more than usual, and sometimes just walked circles around their house, trailing his thin fingers over the bookshelves and furniture. He spent more time in the woods than at home. And, on a few occasions, Morgan had caught him fiddling restlessly with his wedding band, as if he didn't know what it was or why it was on his finger. But he refused to remove it.

Right after his mother had vanished, he hadn't seemed very worried about the situation. He still was his carefree, glib self for a few weeks, until he'd awoken one morning and asked Morgan where Robin was.

"Mom's missing," Morgan had said slowly, staring at his father in mounting concern. "Don't you remember?"

He'd hummed, tapping his chin in thought. "Sooo...she'll be back soon, yeah?" He'd then scratched his head, and stared at his ring when it caught his eye. "I mean, sure, she's been away for a little bit, but she's gotta be getting homesick, or something. Right?" The volume of his voice had slowly lowered as he'd spoken. "Where is she?"

Morgan's heart had plummeted when he'd realized that his father had yet to comprehend the situation. He'd been in denial the entire time. "Dad, we...we don't know."

"Huh." The man's eyes flicked around the living room restlessly.

Morgan had hugged him and said determinedly, "We're going to find Mom, I promise." His father had stood stiffly in silence for several moments, either unwilling or unable to return the embrace.

And then he'd broken down, gasping wetly, clutching at his son for dear life as his legs folded beneath him. He'd been reduced to a child, helpless and scared and unable to cope. Morgan had held him as best he could, but they'd eventually slumped to the floor together.

~.~.~

He went out the rear door of the house, eyes scanning for his father. He finally spotted him standing at the fringe of the forest, surrounded by birds. To Morgan's surprise, they weren't just the usual crows and ravens that naturally gravitated towards the man: there were also owls, larks, wrens, even a large brown hawk, as well as several small, chirping birds that Morgan couldn't hope to identify.

"Dad?" he called.

Henry didn't turn, continuing instead to murmur fondly to the few birds that had perched directly on him. Morgan drew closer, until he could hear his father's voice.

"...Uh-huh. Uh-huh. You sure? Well, it was worth a shot! Thanks, buddy," he cooed to a particularly large crow on his right shoulder. Henry made a kissing noise at it; the bird tapped his nose with its beak, as if acknowledging the friendly sorcerer, and flew away with a caw of farewell.

Morgan drew around to where Henry could see him. "Hi, Dad."

Henry stared blankly at him for a moment, almost like he was trying to remember who Morgan was. But then he blinked, and his signature grin stretched over his face. "Heya, kiddo! What's up?"

"Well, um, I just wanted to see if you're all right," his son hedged.

"Really?" Henry turned to face him fully, startling some of the birds closest to him. "I'm good. You?"

"I'm fine, I guess. But, Dad, I have to ask: why didn't you join Cherche's search party this morning? They were able to cover a lot of terrain." Not only did Chrom and the other Shepherds continue to patrol the halidom after the war, but groups of them often formed search parties in an effort to find their lost tactician. Her absence had left a gaping hole in their patchwork family.

Henry shrugged his shoulders, the birds on them bobbing up and down. "I was busy. Still am."

"...Talking to the birds?"

"Yep!"

"You—w-what—" Morgan grasped for words, frustration and grief squeezing his brain like a vise. "You chose playing with animals over looking for Mom? Why would you _do_ that?" His voice was cracking. "I know it's been more than a year, but have you really given up? She's your wife!" He couldn't possibly fathom why his father, who was much, much kinder than his reputation suggested, wasn't searching frantically for who was supposed to be the love of his life.

An atypically delicate emotion flashed in the darkness of Henry's eyes, so quick that Morgan almost missed it. "I know that." Morgan made to say something else, but his father tilted his head to look up at the birds sailing through the air above them. "You know what one of my favorite things about birds is?" he asked.

"What?" said Morgan, confused by the non sequitur.

"They can go pretty much anywhere. Forests, mountains, rivers, fields—you name it. And nobody cares if they cross country borders uninvited." He chuckled. "Most of 'em have better eyesight than the average Shepherd, too, so if you tell them what to look for, they can't miss it." He looked down and met Morgan's gaze, pausing for a long moment. "I...I'm trying to help. Promise."

Morgan couldn't help it; he felt hot tears well in his eyes and quickly spill over, running down his cheeks. Of course. Of course his dad was. He was helping the best way he knew how, and he wouldn't show that he was hurting. He seldom did.

Henry frowned slightly. "Hey, hey, you look like you need a good ol' hug. C'mere." He held out his arms and Morgan stumbled into them, clutching the back of his shirt, hiccuping as he listened to his father's quick heartbeat. "Shh," soothed Henry, ruffling hair that was pale and flyaway as his own. "We'll find her. We will. But it's okay to cry right now, yeah?"

"It's okay for you to cry, too, Dad."

Henry just made a little noise and held his son tighter.


End file.
